Amritsar, April 7
The Amritsar rural police has booked five members of the in-laws family, including the husband of a woman who allegedly committed suicide by setting herself and her three-year-old daughter on fire.

The victims Jagroop Kaur and her daughter Harleen Kaur later succumbed to the burns. The incident occurred on March 24 at Malwowal. The police had at that time initiated the proceedings under Section 174 of the CrPC.

The accused include Joginder Pal Singh (husband), Harbans Kaur (mother-in-law), Jagwinder Singh (brother-in-law), his wife Kulwinder Kaur and Chanpreet Singh, residents of Malowal village.

Jagwinder Singh, a resident of Rakh Manawala and father of the deceased, in his statement to the police alleged that Jagroop Kaur was married to Joginder Pal Singh few years back. He alleged that the accused were harassing her to bring more dowry.

Fed up of the harassment, she allegedly took the extreme step of killing herself and her daughter after pouring kerosene, he told the police. Tarsikka police has registered a case under Section 306, 498-A of the IPC in this regard. No arrests have been made so far. The accused are absconding.

Kanwalpreet Singh, SHO, Tarsikka police station, said the victim’s family had not filed any complaint with the police immediately after the incident.

“After a fortnight, the family lodged a complaint with the police. We are investigating into the case and action will be taken accordingly,” said Kanwalpreet Singh.

n The father of the victim alleged that the accused harassed his daughter to bring more dowry.

Amritsar, April 7
To save the trouble of dumping garbage at the designated spots, the sanitary staff of the Municipal Corporation, take the easy route of burning it instead. Little do they realise the harmful effects of such shortcuts in garbage disposal and the harm they are causing to the society and the environment.

In the absence of any check by the MC officials, the garbage is openly burnt at public parks, roadsides or even in the garbage bin itself. For them the environment has no value as they save on their time and efforts! Heaps of dry leaves and refuse were torched at Company Bagh this morning ruining the freshness of the morning air for walkers. Jagdish Singh, a regular morning walker, pointed to a spot near the statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh where tree leaves were being burnt. "The garbage has been collecting here for long but no one bothered to take stock. Instead, the AMC men burnt dry leaves without any guilt or shame. There is no one to keep a check on them," he said.

Such burning of garbage causes harm to the health of the residents, sources said.

Since the garbage is not segregated, plastic, polystyrene (foam cups), dry and wet waste is burnt together which releases gases, which are hazardous to health. Medical experts said the smoke from burning trash in a barrel contains particulate matter, carbon monoxide, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen cyanide, benzene, styrene, formaldehyde, arsenic, lead and chromium etc.

Residents also complain of trouble in breathing. “They do not burn only dry waste, but it is a mixture of plastic and other waste, old clothes etc, which emits toxic vapours," residents complain. Garbage heaps can be spotted in almost all parts of the city, like the Court Road, Albert Road, Queens Road, Basant Avenue or roads near the railway station.

Amritsar, April 7
Dealing with the psychological trauma patients coming to Jallianwala Bagh Memorial Civil Hospital go through is not on the priority list of the hospital authorities. The hospital does not have any post of psychiatrist to offer advice to the patients. Doctors here deal with 800 patients at its Out Patient Department (OPD) on an average everyday.

Some patients feel the hospital must have at least one psychiatrist to deal with the psychological issues of the patients. This is vital as in most of the cases the patients also under go a psychological change during the period of their illness.

Surinder Kumar, a local resident said, "The hospital is well equipped with medical facilities but it lacks a trained psychiatrist. People often face emotional problems while suffering from a disease." He said the hospital must arrange for a doctor.

Though the city has Vidyasagar Institute of Mental Health known as Government Mental Hospital but going there is not an option for many as the person might be taken as insane.

“I would avoid going to the mental hospital as I fear people might think of me as insane. But for minor and first stage emotional problems, the civil hospital should provide treatment. Here at least I will not be branded as insane," said Raghupreet Kaur, a visitor.

Owing to the stigma attached with going to the mental hospital and the absence of a psychiatrist at the Civil Hospital, patients have no option but to visit private clinics where heavy fees is charged.

Due to ignorance of the patients about the services of experts, patients consult general medical practitioners who most often don't have anything to offer for psychological problems.

JBM Hospital senior medical officer Dr Balbir Singh Dhillon said, "As of now we don't have a psychiatrist. But if required we can put a request before the higher authorities."

He said the city also has a state-of the-art institute of mental health which caters to the needs of people from the region.

Amritsar, April 7
Come April 15 and it will be mandatory to check with the Amritsar Muncipal Corporation if you are 
qualified to keep a pet, especially a dog. For, the The MC has framed pet dog bylaws under which it will be mandatory to get your pet registered with the AMC. The move comes after the intervention of the state government some months ago. The state government had sent directions to the municipal corporations in the state to implement the pet bylaws on the pattern of Chandigarh.

Applicants will have to furnish a form before facing a committee headed by AMC health officer Dr Yogesh Arora. Questions in the form will include the dog’s breed, its age and its vaccination schedule to ensure that the dog has been inoculated for rabies.

After satisfying the queries of the MC, the aspirant will have to deposit an annual fee of Rs 250 (April to March every year). Thereafter a token bearing the owner’s name, his address will be issued. The owners will be required to always keep the token tied to the collar of the pet. The owners will have to assure the committee that he or she will not be cruel to the animal and will follow a regular vaccination schedule for the pet. They will have to furnish a performa asking the age and breed of the pet before submitting an annual fee of Rs 250. A token, valid for one year (from April-March every year) will then be issued after he or she qualifies the test. This token with an inscription of the owner’s name and address will be tied to the pet’s neck at all times.

If the pets bite someone, it will be liability of the owner of the pet to compensate the victim. Similarly, if a pet defecates in a public place or in someone’s residential premises, it will be the responsibility of the owner to get the spot cleaned.

The pet should not be found roaming in the streets i.e. beyond the enclosure of owner’s house unattended, or else the pet can be captured by the AMC team. A penalty of Rs 50 per day and Rs 250 each day for subsequent offence will be charged from the owner.

Dr Arora said, “It has been witnessed that a number of times the pets get infected after coming in contact with stray animals,” he said.

MC commissioner Dharampal Gupta said the registration of pets will be introduced after a notification issued by the government in this regard. 

Amritsar, April 7
Strike by jewellers in city entered the 22nd day today despite the national body of the association suspending the strike till May 10. Various jewellers associations today announced that they will decide on the next course of action on April 9.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee assured to review the excise tax on unbranded jewellery but it failed to assuage the feelings of the agitated jewelers and goldsmiths.

Punjab Sarraffa Association, Secretary, Davinder Khanna said the national body of the Association suspended the strike yesterday till May 10, but local gold jewellery shops remained closed throughout the day today. He said a majority of the jewellers were reluctant to resume their businesses until the union government takes spme concrete step in their favour. He said a roll back of the excise tax on unbranded jewellery was a must.

Jaspal Singh Kanda, vice-president, Punjab Swarnakar Sangh, said the decision either to continue with the agitation or suspend it will be made public on Monday morning. Expressing lack of faith in the Finance Minister's assurance he said he must come out with something concrete for jewellers and goldsmiths.

Earlier, in the morning confusion over resumption of business was palpable in the Guru Bazaar, a traditional gold market housing hundreds of showrooms and workshops. Jewellers, artisans and goldsmiths gathered around Patel Chowk where their leaders were holding a meeting. One of the leaders announced that the shops will remain closed for the next two days and a final decision will be taken on Monday.

A member present at the meeting on the condition of anonymity said that there was a possibility that the business will resume but black flags will be put outside all shops as a mark of protest against the union government.

The All India Swarnakar Sangh, commonly known as Akhil Bhartiya Swarnakar Sangh executive member Satnam Singh Kanda said he was leaving for New Delhi today to take part in the national level meeting of the body. He said the proposed two-day meet starting, from April 8 will elect the new president and other office- bearers of the body. He said he will convey the sentiments of the local jewellers to the national leaders, as they want to resume business only after assurance by the central government.

Amritsar, April 7
Budding Sufi singers kept the audience spell-bound for more than three hours during the annual ‘Sufi Utsav-2012’, held at Khalsa College late last night. Upcoming singer Yakub belonging to the Patiala Gharana followed by well-known singers Joyti and Sultana Nooran belonging to the Sham Chaurasi Gharana enthralled the audience with their classical Sufi singing.

The programme, organised by Legend Record Society (LRS), in collaboration with Khalsa College, was aimed to provide a platform for Sufi singers to debut.

Yakub began with ‘Kalam Bulle Shah’ and went to sing verses by Baba Farid. He also sang popular ‘Toomba’ and poetry of Bhakhtawar Mian, which was well received and many in the audience started dancing to the traditional beat of the song.

This was followed by performances of Jyoti and Sultana who sang tributes to Baba Farid. The programme was dedicated to Baba Farid. They also sang ‘kafis’ by Bulle Shah, Bhakhtawar Mian’s ‘shayari’ and ‘Aaja ve aaja mahi tatrhi de vehre’.

The audience was mesmerised when the duo sang the classical Sufi song sung by their grandmother Nooran ‘Kulli yaar di’. Khalsa College Governing Council (KCGC) honorary secretary Rajindermohan Singh Chhina who was the chief guest at the function, said the programme aimed to promote traditional music forms of music among the youth of today.

Chhina said in this age of pop-music there still is an audience for the serious music forms like Sufi.

Society’s head and SDM Tarn Taran, Bakhtawar Singh said the programme was a part of their annual congregation of Sufi music lovers and classical Sufi singers.

Khalsa College principal Dr Daljit Singh appreciated the role of LRS in providing a platform to the budding Sufi singers live on stage as well as recording and releasing their albums. He said more efforts should be made to promote classical singers. Bakhatawar Singh and Dr Daljit Singh honoured Chhina and Income Tax Commissioner, Bangalore, Karnail Singh and the guest of honour, Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) registrar Dr Inderjit Singh. Sufi singers Wadali brothers, legendry Punjabi singer Gurmit Bawa, Dr Jagbir Singh and Manmeet Gill were also honoured for their contribution to the world of Punjabi music. Singer Lakhwinder Singh Wadali received the award on behalf of Wadali brothers.

Amritsar, April 7
To mark the World Health Day, a free medical check up camp was organised at Jallianwala Bagh Memorial Civil Hospital, today. As many as 450 patients were examined at the camp. The hospital authorities also organised special lectures to make people aware about various health problems. The lectures were held at the hospital waiting hall.

Inaugurating the function, Deputy Medical Commissioner Dr Hardeep Singh Ghai said population of people above 60 years of age has almost doubled over the last decade. He said the health department is making efforts to train and sensitise the hospital staff about the special problems and needs of the geriatric population.

“The average age has increased because of better health facilities,” he said.

Hospital senior medical officer Dr Balbir Singh Dhillon said every woman above 40 years of age must get herself examined for cancer, especially breast cancer as cases are on the rise. “Timely diagnosis of the problem can go a long way to cure the problem,” he said. Pregnant women and the elderly must also take a balanced diet to ward away a number of health problems. 

Amritsar, April 7
Former Pakistan law minister Babar Awan and member Pakistan Bar Council Chaudhary Amjad Ramjan visited Amritsar Bar Association office here today.

He held an interaction with the advocates and requested them to play a bigger role in improving bilateral relations between the two countries.

Awan said both the countries are the best cricketing nations and people must be given a chance to watch them in field.

He said the two countries must also provide free legal to prisoners. The advocates' community can also help. The legal fraternity of both the nations must take up prisoner issues, said Babar.

Chaudhary Ramjan said Asif Ali Zardari's visit is very important for improvement in relations between the two countries.

“The advocates should work to prepare ground for betterment of relations. Being the guardians of law, the advocates should take this initiative.”

Amritsar, April 7
The MC authorities have initiated an awareness campaign among the traders to keep their surroundings clean. In the first phase, the MC team led by Health Officer Dr Yogesh Arora today held deliberations with the traders of IDH market and Ghanta Ghar Chowk market over the issue. The traders have been told to keep the area around their shops clean before closing.

“The idea behind the campaign is to educate the shopkeepers about cleaning up the refuse at their workplaces before leaving for home in the evening. It has been observed that traders seldom keep garbage bins outside their shops. All have been told to throw the waste in the designated bins so that it should not litter the passage," said Dr Arora. He said on Monday, meetings will be held with the traders of Hall gate and Lawrence road.

Amritsar, April 7
Mehta police has arrested four persons and rescued 17 cows being taken to Uttar Pradesh allegedly to be slaughtered.

The accused include Sadhu Singh and Nirvair Singh, both residents of Surakhpur, Kapurthala, Irfan of Bodpur and Sonu of Hothia.

Mehta police intercepted a truck (PB-09-N-9181) near Khabbe Rajputta village on a tip off that the accused were involved in smuggling of cows and that they were taking cows to Uttar Pradesh for slaughtering.

The police said a case under Sections 3/4 of the Cow Slaughtering Act has been registered.

Amritsar, April 7
Two motorcycle-borne youth allegedly snatched the purse of Subana Chaudhry, a resident of Fare Estate, New Delhi. The victim and her family were going on a rickshaw towards Municipal Corporation office near Kotwali police station.

She said she had a Blackberry mobile, Rs 40,000 cash, ATM and PAN card besides other documents. The Kotwali police has registered a case under Section 382 IPC in this regard. No arrest has been made so far.